The historic Ritz Theatre has stood on Commerce Street since 1935.

City of Greenville officials hope that upgrades to the building’s fire alarm system will ensure that it’s there for many more years to come.

On Monday, the Greenville City Council voted to have the building’s existing fire alarm system brought up to the State of Alabama’s fire code. According to Greenville Fire Department Chief Mike Phillips, the current system is outdated and has posed problems for several years.

“There’s a chance that the current alarm might not go off in the event of a fire,” Phillips said.

The city will pay McCoy Fire and Safety, Inc. $2,250 to upgrade the system, which will include additional smoke detectors and strobe lights, as well as another pull station, which allows the alarm to be set off manually. There will also be a $20 monthly monitoring fee with the new system.

“It’s very important that we have a working system at the Ritz,” Phillips said. “It’s a big assembly area and we often have a lot of people there are one time. If something were to go wrong we need to have all the time we can to make sure we get people out of there. We need a top-notch alarm at the Ritz.”

McCoy Fire and Safety, Inc. is expected to begin and complete the installation by the end of next week, according to Phillips.

In other business:

• The Council approved a $4,950 payment to Southern Software, Inc. for a computer software support renewal for the Greenville Police Department.

 

• The Council approved a $1,037.68 payment to Southland International Trucks, Inc. for repairs to the disc air-brake system valve on limb truck No. 69.